THINGS BECAME SCARCE: FOOD AVAILABILITY AND ACCESSIBILITY IN SANTIAGO de CUBA THEN AND NOW

Abstract

Cuba has had a nationalized food rationing system since 1962, and has been lauded for exemplary food security innovations in the face of national financial hardship. Decreases in food and agricultural related importations after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1990 limited the amount of food provided in the monthly rations, forcing individuals to acquire increasing amounts of their food through other means. This article reveals the complexities Cubans face when attempting to access foods in Santiago de Cuba. This project examines how Cubans experience their food system, their struggles to maintain food traditions despite the low availability of ingredients, and how people use and relate to Cuba's food provisioning system. In this article two memories of past periods of abundance are juxtaposed to show the different ways in which individuals interpret food security. The analysis of semistructured interviews, community mapping, and participant‐observation reveal the ways in which residents of Santiago de Cuba orient to their present situation through memories of past periods when foods were more available and more easily accessible.

A comparative ethnography of nutrition interventions: Structural violence and the industrialisation of agrifood systems in the Caribbean and the Pacific

“…In the Nauruan case, foreign practitioners meant well but unknowingly perpetuated gender inequities and community frictions. This echoes similar findings by other authors working in these regions (e.g., Garth 2009;Hardin 2015;Hardin et al 2018). Improved sensitivity to the potential for structural violence, including self-reflexive approaches to project development (e.g.…”

Alimentary Dignity: Defining a Decent Meal in Post‐Soviet Cuban Household Cooking

“…After the collapse of the Soviet Union, during the 1990s, Cuba entered a period of extreme economic crisis known as “the Special Period in Time of Peace.” Because Soviet imports had formed the basis of Cuba's food system and supplied inputs for agriculture since the 1960s, the food system radically changed. In the 1990s many food products became scarce and those that were available off the ration had prohibitively high prices (Garth ). The number of rationed products increased in the Special Period, from only nineteen items in the 1980s, to most food in the 1990s (Wright ).…”

Kinship, Love, and Life Cycle in Contemporary Havana, Cuba

“…Food is significant in social relations as an expression of love and care. Although the food situation has improved significantly since the 1990s when Cubans suffered serious malnutrition, the acquisition of food is still laborious and a rather limited array of items tends to be available at any one time (Garth 2009). Making sure that one's loved ones get enough to eat forms part of the reciprocal praxis of care.…”